Universal dough cutting and packing apparatus

ABSTRACT

A dough cutting and packing apparatus capable of processing and packaging dough products of differing dimensions includes a plurality of cutting plates supported adjacent one another to form an endless cutting unit. A container positioning mechanism positions a plurality of containers relative to the openings to receive the dough pieces after they are removed by the reciprocating packing mechanism. A servo motor drive actuation of both the cutter bar indexing drive system and the container advancement system allows for accurate positioning by reprogramming the servo drive for a particular product dimension rather than mechanically changing over to alternate equipment. A self-contained container advancement module can be removed and replaced with another container module suitable for delivering containers of different dimensions. A removable sprocket and chain system are dedicated to cutter bars of a particular size such that significant retooling is not required to change cutter bars and support chains in order to process dough products of different dimensions.

This is a divisional of application Ser. No. 08/476,861, filed Jun. 7,1995, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,535,575 which is a continuation of Ser. No.08/260,526 filed Jun. 16, 1994 abandoned.

INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE

The following patents are hereby incorporated by reference:

U.S. Pat. No. 3,120,198 to Reid;

U.S. Pat. No. 3,148,635 to Reid;

U.S. Pat. No. 3,427,783 to Reid; and

U.S. Pat. No. 5,247,782 to Rejsa.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates generally to dough cutting and packing devices. Inparticular, the present invention is a universal dough cutting andpacking apparatus having a mechanism capable of transferring differentsize dough products to corresponding containers at a high rate of speedwithout the need for a separate cutting and packing device and withoutretooling manufacturing equipment prior to processing a different sizeddough product.

Devices for cutting a sheet of dough into pieces and packing the doughpieces into containers are generally known. U.S. Pat. No. 3,427,783 toReid, discloses one such dough cutting and packing apparatus.Improvements to the Reid apparatus are included in U.S. Pat. No.5,247,782 to Rejsa.

In Reid, a retaining and releasing assembly is positioned above a centerregion of a cutting unit. The retaining and releasing assembly includesa plurality of retaining and releasing heads or tubes which are mountedto the cutting and packing apparatus for reciprocating movement throughhex-shaped cups or openings in cutting plates carried by chains in thecutting unit. As the tubes move downward, they contact dough piecesretained within the hex-shaped openings in the cutting plates. Vacuumpressure throughout the tubes allows the tubes to retain the doughpieces as the tubes move through the openings in the cutting plates,thereby removing the dough pieces from the cutting unit.

Continued downward movement of the tubes causes the tubes to enter theopen ends of containers positioned beneath the cutting unit. Thus,downward movement of the tubes is referred to as the packing stroke. Airexpelled from the tubes causes the dough pieces to be deposited in thecontainer. The length of the tubes are graduated so that the doughpieces are deposited in the bottoms of the container at the start of thepacking operation and near the tops of the containers at the end of thepacking operation until the containers are filled.

The containers are properly positioned for receiving the dough pieces bya plurality of pairs of laterally extending, horizontally disposed upperand lower flighted augers. Empty containers are delivered to a first endof the flighted augers by a first endless belt conveyor. A secondendless belt conveyor removes filled containers from a second end of theflighted augers. As the containers move through the augers, the doughpieces are deposited in the containers.

The cutting unit is intermittently driven. An electric drive motor iscoupled to a first gear box which in turn is coupled to a second gearbox by a first shaft. The second gear box is coupled to the cutting unitthrough a first mechanical intermittent drive. The first intermittentdrive allows the cutting unit to move in a step-wise manner to positionsuccessive cutting plates beneath the retaining and releasing assembly.The drive motor is further coupled to a crank through a third gear box.The crank is connected to the retaining and releasing assembly, andmoves the tubes in a reciprocating fashion. The reciprocating movementof the tubes is synchronized with the step-wise movement of the cuttingunit so that the cutting unit only moves when the tubes are notextending into or through the openings in the cutting plates.

In Rejsa, as in Reid, the dough cutting and packing apparatus includesan endless cutting unit having a plurality of cutting plates supportedby carrier chains. The cutting plates have a plurality of doughretaining openings. The cutting unit is configured to receive a sheet ofdough that is pressed into the cutting plates by a presser roller. Thepitch of the cutting unit varies with the desired size dough productwhich also requires a specific carrier chain. The presser roller pressesdough into cutter plates which divides the dough sheet into pieces whichare held within the dough retaining openings in the cutting plates ofthe cutting unit. These dough pieces are carried to a packing mechanismwhich includes a plurality of retaining and releasing heads.

Rejsa also teaches improvements over Reid. The retaining and releasingheads or plungers are moved in a reciprocating fashion relative to thecutting unit by way of a microprocessor controlled servo motor. As theretaining and releasing .heads move downward (i.e., through the packingstroke), they contact the dough pieces held within the retainingopenings in the cutting plates.

Operation of the servo motor during this packing stroke is controlled bythe microprocessor in two stages. In the first stage, the servo motorrapidly accelerates the retaining and releasing heads at a rate inexcess of the rate of acceleration due to gravity. Accelerationcontinues until the retaining and releasing heads enter open ends ofcontainers positioned beneath the cutting unit. In the second stage ofthe packing stroke, the servo motor rapidly decelerates the retainingand releasing heads which discharges the dough pieces from the heads anddeposits the dough pieces in the containers. At the end of the secondstage of the packing stroke, movement of the retaining and releasingheads ceases and the return stroke of the heads commences.

By providing the packing mechanism with a servo motor controlled by aprogrammable microprocessor, the dough cutting and packing apparatus canpack containers without the need of a pressure/vacuum blower andaccompanying ducts, pipes, manifold assembly and noise as was used inReid. Rather, the acceleration and deceleration techniques ensure properpacking without the use of air pressure in the retaining and releasingtubes.

In the systems taught by both Reid and Rejsa, each size dough product isbased upon a particularly dimensioned hex-shaped cup. Thus, the lengthof the cutting plates in the cutting unit varies as the size of theproduct varies. This requires that the index (or distance) that thecutting unit must move for each stroke of the retaining and releasingheads is specific for each different size dough product.

The containers in Rejsa are moved relative to the packing mechanism in asimilar manner to that taught by Reid. A container positioning mechanismdefined by a plurality of pairs of flighted augers drive the containerssuch that the containers are intermittently stopped below respectiveretaining and releasing heads until the packing mechanism completes apacking stroke and transfers dough pieces from the cutting unit to thecontainers. Each container size is specific for only one size doughproduct. The can index profile is specific to the number of dough piecespacked per can and the width, or number of biscuits, of the cutter bar.The dough packer index rate is limited by the inertia of the machine andinterference conditions of each cycle. Since alignment of the containerswith the hex-shaped cup in the cutter bar is essential for the doughpiece to be successfully packaged, the screw pitch and spacing of theflighted augers are specific for each dough product.

Further, the cutting plates are carried through the cutting and packingapparatus by chains driven by an indexing drive. The cutting plates areattached to links in the chains. The length and dimensions of the linksare specific to a particular size dough product, as the cutting plateshave a specific length, which is determined by the size of the biscuitand the number of biscuits in the cutter bar. Each size dough product,therefore, has a unique carrier chain link size and a drive sprocketwhich accommodates that chain link size.

Therefore, the present dough cutting and packing apparatus is dedicatedto cut only one size dough product and to pack those dough pieces intocorresponding sized containers. Each size product requires a particularhex cup size, cutting plate, carrier chain and container index screws oraugers.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

There is a need to provide the capability to pack any size product inone processing line. In particular, there is a need for a universaldough cutting and packing apparatus which can efficiently accommodatedifferent size dough products by transferring the dough from the cuttingunit to corresponding dough product containers, without dedicatingentire processing lines to one size product or completely retooling oneline to accommodate a different size dough product.

A dough cutting and packing apparatus includes a plurality of cuttingplates supported adjacent to one another to form an endless cuttingunit. A rotatable member is disposed relative to the cutting unit topress a dough sheet into the openings in the cutting plates to cut thedough sheet into a plurality of dough pieces. A reciprocating packingmechanism is positioned relative to the endless cutting unit to extendinto the openings to remove the dough pieces from the openings. Acontainer positioning mechanism positions a plurality of containersrelative to the openings to receive the dough pieces after they areremoved by the reciprocating packing mechanism. A variable cutter driveassembly is coupled to the endless cutting unit for advancing thecutting plates relative to the reciprocating packing mechanism. Thecutting plates are advanced with each reciprocation of the reciprocatingpacking mechanism by a variable distance based on the length of thecutting plates.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the dough sheet is moved tothe cutting unit by a constant velocity packer infeed belt. Duringpacking, the dough is advanced during advancement periods and packedduring dwell periods. As dough accumulates during the dwell periods, thevelocity of a shuttle is slaved off the drive motor for the cuttingplates and the packer infeed belt so that changes in the line speed ofthe cutting plates automatically re-adjust the shuttle motion to matchthe dough accumulation profile. A servo motor controls the translationalmotion of the shuttle, to accommodate the velocity of the accumulateddough, through a series of sprockets.

In another embodiment, a plurality of interchangeable sprockets andchains, each dedicated to a certain size product, are useable with asingle cutting and packing apparatus. A pair of hubs mounted for drivingthe cutting unit accommodate the interchangeable sprockets. Overallchain length is varied slightly with pneumatic cylinder takeupscontrolling the tension of chains supporting the cutting plates. Duringa dough product size changeover, the pneumatic cylinders are retractedto allow slack in the chains to accommodate the line change. When thenew size chain assembly is in place, the pneumatic cylinders areextended so the chains are at the proper tension.

Also, in one preferred embodiment, synchronously timed with the constantreciprocating vertical motion of the cutting and packing head, a modularscrew or auger assembly is used to position containers to receive thedough pieces. The modular assembly includes flighted screws or augersand drive gear boxes mounted on a portable chassis. The screws arecantilevered to be positioned between a top and a return side of thecutter bar chains. A servo motor which remains on a frame of theuniversal dough cutting and packing apparatus is decoupled from the gearboxes during processing changeover. The servo motor provides easyvariation in positioning control for various screw index profiles.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an isometric view of a dough packing apparatus according tothe present invention.

FIG. 1A illustrates packing of a dough piece into a container accordingto the present invention.

FIGS. 1B and 1C illustrate a dough accumulation shuttle of the presentinvention.

FIG. 2 is an isometric view of a container advancement module accordingto the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a partial block diagram showing a drive train in the module ofFIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a side view of a chain assembly according to the presentinvention.

FIG. 5 is a top view of the chain assembly shown in FIG. 4.

FIG. 6 is a side view of a chain link according to the presentinvention.

FIG. 7 is an isometric view of a cutter bar changeover system Accordingto the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Overall Description ofApparatus 10

FIG. 1 is an isometric view of a dough cutting and packing apparatus 10according to the present invention, shown partially in block diagramform. Apparatus 10 includes motor controller 12, servo motor 14, motor16 (which can be any suitable motor such as a stepper motor, servo motoror AC motor), and servo motor 18, press roller 22, packing head assembly24, cutter bar assembly 26, container advancement module 28, containerfeed mechanism 32 and container removal mechanism 34. Motor controller12 is typically a digital computer, a micro controller, or anothersuitable control element, which is coupled to motors 14, 16 and 18.Servo motor 14 is coupled, through a drive shaft with a gearbox (notshown), to a drive roller 36 supported for rotation by frame 30. Driveroller 36 and idler roller 40 each have a pair of hubs supporting a pairof sprockets which mate with a pair of drive chains (the hubs, sprocketsand drive chains are described in greater detail with respect to FIGS.4, 5, and 6). The drive chains support a plurality of cutting bars 38(described in greater detail with respect to FIGS. 4 and 5). Theplurality of cutting plates 38 are coupled to one another by the drivechains, around the hubs of drive roller 36 and idler roller 40 to forman endless cutting unit of cutting bars 38.

Motor 16 is coupled to packing head assembly 24. Motor 16 drives packinghead assembly 24 in a constant reciprocal motion in the directionindicated by arrow 42. Packing head assembly 24 includes a plurality ofpacking plungers or tubes 48 which extend out and away from a base plate50.

Container advancement module 28 includes a base 52 supported by wheels54. Module 28 also includes an upper portion 56 having four hollowmembers 58 mounted over four pins 60. Pins 60 are reciprocable withinhollow members 58. The four hollow members 58 support gear boxes 44 andflighted augers or screws 46. In addition, the entire upper portion 56of module 28 is supported for vertical movement by actuation ofhydraulic (or pneumatic) cylinders 62. A pair of locator pins 64 extendsdownwardly from the upper portion 56 of module 28 and mate with a pairof locator apertures (not shown) on frame 30. The locator pins arepreferably cone shaped so as to be self-centering in the apertures.Servo motor 18 is mounted on frame 30 and has a drive shaft releasablycoupled to gear boxes 44. Servo motor 18 drives rotation of augers 46through gear boxes 44. This is described in greater detail in referenceto FIG. 3.

In operation, a dough sheet 20 is advanced between press roller 22 anddrive roller 36 in the direction indicated by arrow 66. Each of thecutter bars 38 may be formed of a suitable rigid material defining aplurality of hexagonal-shaped openings 68. As dough sheet 20 movesbetween press roller 22 and the particular cutter bar 38 then locatedbetween press roller 22 and drive roller 36, press roller 22 presses thedough into the hexagonal-shaped openings 68 in the cutter bars 38 belowpress roller 22. This causes the dough to be separated intohexagonally-shaped dough pieces.

The dough pieces are retained within the openings 68 in cutter bars 38,and the cutter bars 38 are advanced in the direction indicated by arrow66 toward packing head assembly 24. During advancement of cutter bars38, container advancement module 28 advances a plurality of containers70 in a direction indicated by arrow 71 transverse to the direction ofmovement of dough sheet 20. The containers 70 are fed to module 28 bycontainer feed mechanism 32 which is any known, commercially available,container feed mechanism, such as an endless conveyor.

As the cutter bars 38 advance to a position beneath packing headassembly 24, packing head assembly 24 reciprocates downward and plungers48 extend through openings 68 in cutter bars 38. Thus, plungers 48 pressthe dough pieces retained in openings 68 down, out the bottom of cutterbars 38. Plungers 48 carry the dough pieces into containers 70 which arepositioned beneath openings 68 by the flighted augers 46 of module 28.

FIG. 1A is an enlarged view of a portion of packing head assembly 24positioned above an opening 68 and a cutter bar 38. FIG. 1A also shows acontainer 70 positioned below opening 68 for receiving a dough piece 72from openings 68. As head assembly 24 reciprocates downward, finger 48engages dough piece 72 and carries it downwardly into container 70 whichis positioned below openings 68. FIG. 1A also shows that container 70 islocated below opening 68 by a pair of flighted augers 46 driven by oneof the gear boxes 44 on module 28. The augers 46 and guide member 74form a guide passage through which containers 70 are advanced until theyare filled with dough pieces 72. The advancement of container 70 is setout in greater detail in U.S. Pat. No. 5,247,782 to Rejsa which isassigned to the same assignee as the present application, and which ishereby incorporated by reference.

Referring again to FIG. 1, once the dough pieces 72 shown in FIG. 1A areremoved from openings 68 in a particular cutter bar 38, the endlesscutting unit is advanced by servo motor 14 so that the next subsequentcutter bar 38 is positioned beneath packing head assembly 24. Thecontainers 70 are advanced by servo motor 18 in the transverse directionindicated by arrow 71 to be positioned beneath the next subsequentopenings 68 in the cutter bar 38. Packing head assembly 24 againreciprocates downward and packs another dough piece in the containers70.

Advancement of the cutter bars 38 and containers 70 is repeated, anddough pieces are placed in containers 70, until containers 70 are full.At that time, containers 70 are removed from dough packing apparatus 10by a conventional container removal device 34 which is preferably anysuitable, commercially available, container removal device, such as anendless conveyor.

An infeed belt customarily feeds dough sheet 20 to cutting and packingapparatus 10 at a constant, continuous velocity. It will be apparent,however, that advancement of cutter plates 38 is only performedintermittently between reciprocal strokes of head assembly 24. In otherwords, a first cutter bar 38 is advanced to a position under headassembly 24. Then, advancement of the cutter bars 38 stops and headassembly 24 reciprocates to remove dough pieces from the cutter barunder head assembly 24. In the preferred embodiment, head assembly 24removes some of the dough pieces from each of three cutter bars perstroke. Thus, after three indexes, a bar 38 is emptied of substantiallyall dough pieces. After the dough pieces are removed, the cutter bars 38are again advanced until the next subsequent cutter bar is positionedunder head assembly 24 at which time reciprocal motion of head assembly24 removes the retained dough pieces 72 from openings 68 in the cutterbar 38. This action continues throughout the packing operation. Theperiod during which cutter bars 38 are advanced is referred to as anadvancement time period and the period during which dough portions arebeing removed by reciprocation of head assembly 24 is referred to as adwell time.

Shuttle 23

FIGS. 1B and 1C show a shuttle assembly according to one preferredembodiment of the present invention. The shuttle construction andoperation is described in greater detail in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,120,198 and3,148,635 to Reid which are incorporated by reference. Briefly, theshuttle 23 is designed to accumulate dough during dwell periods of thecutter bars 38, and deposit the dough with apparatus 10 during the indexcycle.

During dwell time periods, shuttle 23 is provided to accommodate thedough being delivered by an infeed belt 21. Shuttle 23 istranslationally moved in the direction indicated by arrow 31 alongguideways 27. In the preferred embodiment, guideways 27 are defined byan extended portion (not shown) of frame 30. During dwell time periods,shuttle 23 moves into dough sheet 20 (as shown in FIG. 1C) so that doughfed from indeed belt 21 is accumulated partially on the top surface ofshuttle 23. Then, during a subsequent index cycle, shuttle 23 iscontrolled to move back, away from dough sheet 20. This causes shuttle23 to feed accumulated dough back down to the cutter bars 38 on cuttingassembly 26 during index cycles. In order to operate properly duringboth dwell time periods and index cycles, two separate inputs arerequired to operate the shuttle 23.

While the detailed operation of shuttle 23 is illustrated by Reid, ashort explanation of the inputs controlling shuttle operation isappropriate. Dough sheet 20 is fed to the apparatus 10 at a constantvelocity which is a function of the index length (the length bars 38 aremoved during each index cycle) and the cycle rate. During dwell periods,the conveyor belt speed of the shuttle 23 will continue to match theconstant dough velocity, while the frame of shuttle 23, sliding onlinear guide rails 27, moves in the opposite direction (indicated byarrow 31) of the dough flow at one half the dough velocity to accumulatethe dough.

As described in Reid's patents, the shuttle conveyor motion is a resultof a continuous rotational velocity which rotates a drive pulley (notshown) which drives the conveyor of shuttle 23. In one embodiment, theconstant velocity is provided from a constant speed drive (such as motor16) of the packing head assembly through a line shaft (not shown) andgear box 29.

The shuttle 23 also has a separate speed input based on the index motionof the cutter bars 28. However, during dwell periods, the drive chainwhich provides the index input is stationary. Since the shaft of thedrive pulley driving the shuttle conveyor is common and locked withsprockets of both the constant speed drive and index input, thecontinuously driven sprocket coupled to shuttle 23 tends to walk alongthe stationary drive chain similar to a rack and pinion.

As each product has a specific index distance or index length (due tospecific product sizes), the conveyor speed of feed belt 21 is alsospecific and equal to the index cycle rate x the index length.Consequently, although the drive pulley sprocket can remain the same foreach product, the drive ratio is changed. During changeover of theremovable sprockets for the cutter bars 38 on the tail shaft 40(described in greater detail later in the specification), drivesprockets for the shuttle 23 from the constant speed shaft are alsochanged. For example, for each cycle of the packing head assembly 24,the constant speed shaft driving shuttle 23 is reduced 4:1 to produce0.25 revolutions per stroke of the packing head assembly 24. Thefollowing additional reduction ratio, created by a change of onesprocket, will be required to move the shuttle frame one half thedistance of the specific index length and to move the frame at one halfthe instantaneous velocity of the cutter bars 38:

    ______________________________________                                        Product Can                                                                   Diameter   Reduction Ratio   Index Length                                     ______________________________________                                        2 inches   2.6               6.5 inches                                       2 1/4inches                                                                              3.0               7.5 inches                                       2 7/8inches                                                                              2.85              7.125 inches                                     ______________________________________                                    

The shuttle pulley drive sprocket driving shuttle 23 is preferably a 20tooth sprocket with a 1/2" pitch to produce the appropriate movement.

As the apparatus 10 initiates the index portion of the cycle to advancea cutter bar 38, dough must be delivered to the cutter bars 38 in acontinuous, relaxed manner. Input of the index speed to the shuttle 23on conventional machines is through a sprocket drive from the tail shaft40 of the apparatus 10. Changeover of the packing apparatus 10, due tothe differences in the sprockets used to drive the cutter bars 38,requires a complicated sprocket replacement to achieve the correspondingspeed and index match for shuttle 23. Consequently, input of thetranslational motion profile of shuttle 23 along guide rails 27 ispreferably provided by the previously stationary drive chain, but therotational input to the drive chain is provided by a servo motor 25which is synchronously matched to the motion profile of the cutter barservo drive 14. Shuttle speed selection is preferably defined by a menuselection for the servo and the sprocket substitution previouslydescribed.

As the index cycle is shorter than the dwell period, the speed of theindex chain providing the index input to shuttle 23 is greater than theconstant speed chain coupled to shuttle 23. Consequently, as describedin greater detail in the Reid patents, the index input will override theconstant speed input, and cause the drive pulley sprocket to walk alongthe constant speed chain. As a result, the shuttle frame moves in thedirection of the cutter bars 38 reversing the movement and exact strokelength of the shuttle frame developed during the previous dwell cycle ofthe packing apparatus 10. Also, as described in Reid, the shuttle beltspeed remains constant, allowing the dough to be transferred at aconstant speed, although the velocity component due to the index hasbeen added to the frame velocity of shuttle 23.

In prior systems, drive roller 36 and gear boxes 44 were cam driven by alarge cam system synchronized with the motor driving packing headassembly 24. Thus, with each stroke of packing head assembly 24, cutterbars 38 would be advanced a given, non-variable distance. In addition,with each stroke of head assembly 24, containers 70 would be advanced inthe transverse direction 71 by a given, non-variable, distance. However,dough products are produced in varying sizes in which the diameter ofone dough product differs from that of other dough products. Thus, thesize of the openings 68 also change with each product size variation.With this variation in the size of openings 68, the pitch (or length) ofcutter bars 38 changes, Thus, the distance that each cutter bar mustmove in the direction indicated by arrow 66 with a reciprocation ofpacking head assembly 24 changes with each different product dimension.In addition, since the diameter of the holes in cutter bars 38 changes,the distance which containers 70 must move in the transverse directionto be properly positioned beneath openings 68 also changes with eachdiffering product dimension, Thus, prior systems required completelydifferent augers 46, different support chains supporting cutter bars 38,complete retooling of the cam systems driving augers 46 and drive roller36, or completely separate packing lines for each product having adifferent dimension.

By contrast, the present invention provides shuttle 23, module 28, servomotor drives 14 and 18, motor 16, and a cutting unit removal system forquickly and easily removing cutter bars 38 and replacing them withcutter bars of different dimension. All of these features allowapparatus 10 to operate in a universal fashion.

Module 28

The present invention provides module 28 which is easily removable fromapparatus 10 to change auger dimensions. For removal, cylinders 62 areengaged to either raise or lower the upper portion 56 of module 28, thusdisengaging locator pins 64 from the locator apertures in frame 30.Module 28 can then be easily removed from the system since it issupported by wheels 54. A module having augers 46 with differentdimensions can easily be inserted into system 10, without the need forremoving any augers or changing any cam systems.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged elevational view of container advancement module28 removed from system 10. For the sake of clarity, a number ofcontainers 70 are shown placed between flighted augers 46. As flightedaugers 46 rotate, the containers contained in the flights of the augerson either side of the augers, are driven in the direction indicated byarrow 76. Thus, by accurately controlling the rotation of flightedaugers 46, containers 70 are accurately locatable beneath the openings68 in cutter bars 38.

FIG. 3 illustrates the operation of gear boxes 44 on module 28. For thesake of clarity, the covers of gear boxes 44 are removed. A rotatabledrive shaft 78, coupled for rotation to the upper portion 56 of module28, has a first plurality of beveled gears 80. Beveled gears 80 meetwith a generally opposing second plurality of beveled gears 82 which areeach rigidly coupled to rotatable shaft 84. Shaft 84 includes a pair ofopposing beveled gears 86 and 88 which engage flighted augers 46.

Drive shaft 78 is coupled via a disconnectable linkage 90 to outputshaft 92 of servo motor 18. As discussed with respect to FIG. 1, servomotor 18 is connected to frame 30 and is controlled by motor controller12. Thus, as motor controller 12 controls servo motor 18 so that outputshaft 92 rotates, rotational power is transferred to rotatable shafts 84by the interaction of beveled gears 80 with beveled gears 82. Thisrotation is transferred to augers 46 by the interaction of beveled gears86 and 88 with augers 46.

Cutting Assembly 26, Removable Carrier Chains 94 And Removable Sprockets96

FIG. 4 shows a side view of cutting assembly 26 in greater detail.Cutter bars 38, when not rounding the hubs 37 and 41 or rollers 36 or40, abut one another to form a substantially continuous cutting plane.Cutter bars 38 are coupled to a pair of parallel carrier chains 94 (onlyone of which is shown in FIG. 4). The cutter bars 38 are preferablycoupled to the center of every other link in chains 94.

FIG. 5 shows a top view of cutting assembly 26 with chains 94 shown inphantom. As discussed with respect to FIG. 1, different sized doughproducts require openings 68 in cutter bars 38 to have differentdimensions. With different sized openings 68, the length L of cutterbars 38 changes.

Referring again to FIG. 4, in order to have cutter bars 38 attached tothe center of every other link in chains 94, the dimension of the linksmust change as the length of the cutter bars 38 changes. Chains 94 arecarried by sprockets 96 which are mounted about hubs 37 and 41.

Since the dimension of the links in chains 94 changes with eachdifferent product dimension, the length of chains 94 also changesslightly. However, it is important to maintain the upper surface ofcutting assembly 26 at the same elevation so that it is the samerelative distance from the tops of the containers 70 positioned betweenflighted augers 46 during operation. Thus, guide rails 100 are providedfor supporting the chain 94 as it passes between hubs 37 and 41. Guiderails 100 are removably connected to frame 30 so they can be changedwith different products, if desired.

Since the length of chain 96 changes, slightly, a pneumatic (orhydraulic) cylinder 102, is provided. The cylinder 102 is coupled toframe 30, and a piston 104, reciprocable within cylinder 102 is coupledto idler roller 40 which is contained in a suitable slide arrangement(not shown). When chains 94 having a slightly greater length areinstalled on apparatus 10, cylinder 102 is controlled (via an actuator,not shown) such that piston 104 extends out of cylinder 102 to take upany slack in the new chains. Conversely, when the chains 94 have aslightly shorter length, cylinder 102 is controlled to withdraw piston104 to accommodate the shortened chain. Thus, cylinder 102 providesconstant chain tension and adjustability.

Since the dimension of the links in chains 94 changes with each changein cutter bar length L, the dimension of the teeth on the outer radiusof sprockets 96 must also change to accommodate the change in linkdimension. Sprockets 96 of the present invention are split sprockets,preferably symmetrically split along seams 98, and removably coupled tohubs 37 and 41 on rollers 36 and 40. In the preferred embodiment,sprockets 96 are bolted to hubs 37 and 41.

In accordance with the present invention, chains 94 are removable fromsprockets 96. The entire removal operation for removing chains 94 fromapparatus 10 is described in greater detail with respect to FIG. 7.However, in order that chains 94, which are at a specified pitch, may beremovable from apparatus 10, chains 94 are provided with adisconnectable chain link 107.

FIG. 6 is an enlarged view of an alternative embodiment of a link 106 inchains 94. Using link 106, the length of the links in chains 94 need notchange for different length dough products. In order to keep the linksthe same overall length, link 106 remains the same size, but the holesare positioned slightly differently for different products. Thus, link106 shows an aperture 108 formed in the link 106. In addition, link 106shows two alternative apertures 110 and 112 (shown in phantom) formed inlink 106, for products having varying dimensions. Thus, by using link106 as in FIG. 6 there is no need to change guide rails 100, as shown inFIG. 4 when changing to another product dimension.

Changeover To Pack New Product Dimension

FIG. 7 illustrates a portion of apparatus 10 being reconfigured to cutand pack a product having a different dimension than the product forwhich it was originally configured. Module 28 is first disconnected fromapparatus 10. Gear boxes 44 are disconnected from servo motor 18. Upperportion 56 of container advancement module 28 is then raised todisengage locator pins 64 from the locator apparatus in frame 30.Container advancement module 28 is removed from apparatus 10 (bywheeling it away from apparatus 10) and replaced with a second containeradvancement module 28 having augers 46 with different flightingdimensions.

The locator pins 64 on new module 28 are aligned in the locatorapertures on frame 30. Finally, the gear boxes 44 on new module 28 arecoupled to servo motor 18.

Cutting unit storage cart 114 is then provided for changing over cutterbars 38 and chains 94. Cart 114 includes a winch 116, and shaft 118coupled to sprockets 120, all supported by a frame 122, which in turn,supported by wheels 124. A draw cable assembly 126 is coupled to winch116, around sprocket 120. Assembly 126 includes a cross bar 130 andchain locking cables 132.

In order to remove the cutter bars 38, the disconnectable link in eachof chains 94 is first disconnected so chains 94 no longer form anendless loop. Then, cart 114 is placed adjacent frame 30 and cable 128is withdrawn from winch 116. Assembly 126 is located so that connectorcables 132 are connected to chains 94 supporting cutter bars 38. Winch116 is activated to withdraw cable 128, thus pulling the cutter bars 38and chains 94 out of apparatus 10. Sprockets 120 are sized to fit theparticular chain being removed from apparatus 10. Therefore, as winch116 withdraws cable 128, assembly 126 pulls chains 94 around sprockets120. Cable 128 is further withdrawn into winch 116 so that chains 94move around sprockets 120 and back toward winch 116.

When the cutter bars 38 and chains 94 have been entirely removed fromapparatus 10, sprockets 96 are removed from the hubs on drive roller 36and idler roller 40. The storage cart 114 is withdrawn from apparatus10.

Another storage cart, containing chains having cutter bars 38 withdesired dimensions, is placed adjacent frame 30. New sprockets 96 arebolted to the hubs 37 and 41 of drive roller 36 and idler roller 40 inapparatus 10. The draw cable assembly 126 of the new cart 114 is pulledwithin the frame 30 of apparatus 10 and up around idler roller 40, backto cart 114 and locked onto the new chains 94 which reside on cart 114.Winch 116 is activated and the chains 94 and cutter bars 38 are drawnonto apparatus 10 around rollers 36 and 40. When chains 94 have advancedto a point where the chains 94 are end-to-end around rollers 36 and 40,the removable link in each of chains 94 is connected to form the endlesscutting unit required to cut and pack products having the newdimensions.

CONCLUSION

The present invention includes a number of features which combine toform a universal dough cutting and packing apparatus. First, the presentinvention provides servo motor drive actuation of the containeradvancement system and the cutter bar indexing drive system. Thus, nomatter how big the containers, or no matter how long the cutter bars,they can be positioned accurately and easily relative to one another andrelative to the cutting and packing head assembly by simplyreprogramming the motor controller, and changing sprockets. Only minimalmechanical changeover is required.

In addition, the present invention provides a self-contained containeradvancement module which can be easily removed and replaced with anothercontainer advancement module suitable for delivering containers ofdifferent dimension. This provides a high degree of flexibility in thesystem without retooling and without removing large cam devices found inprevious systems.

The present invention also provides a removable sprocket and chainsystem in which sprockets and chains are each dedicated to cutter barsof a particular size. This provides flexibility to change cutter barsand support chains without any significant retooling and in a very timeefficient manner.

The present system also provides a slaved shuttle assembly. The shuttleassembly accommodates accumulated dough which gathers during dwellperiods.

Finally, the present invention provides an efficient system for removingand exchanging the removable cutter bars and support chains. Storagecarts having cutter bars and support chains for products of differentdimensions are easily movable into place for installation.

With the flexibility provided by the present invention, there is no needto have dedicated cutting and packing lines for each different sizedproduct. In addition, one cutting and packing machine can be changedover or reconfigured for a product having a different size without anysignificant retooling, Thus, the present invention provides significantadvantages in both cost and time efficiency over prior systems.

Although the present invention has been described with reference topreferred embodiments, workers skilled in the art will recognize thatchanges may be made in form and detail without departing from the spiritand scope of the invention.

What is claimed is:
 1. A dough cutting and packing apparatus,comprising:a plurality of cutting plates, each cutting plate having aplurality of openings, the cutting plates being supported adjacent oneanother to form an endless cutting unit; a rotatable member disposedrelative to the cutting unit to press a dough sheet into the openings inthe cutting plates to cut the dough sheet into a plurality of doughpieces, the plurality of dough pieces being retained in the openings inthe cutting plates; a packing mechanism reciprocably mounted relative tothe endless cutting unit to reciprocate and extend into the openings toremove the dough pieces; packing mechanism driver, coupled to thepacking mechanism, configured to drive reciprocation of the packingmechanism; a modular container positioning mechanism configured toposition a plurality of containers relative to the openings to receivethe dough pieces after the dough pieces are removed by the packingmechanism, the modular container positioning mechanism including:aportable chassis, movable relative to the packing mechanism; and acontainer conveyor, movably coupled to the portable chassis, configuredto move containers of a predetermined size from a position aligned witha first set of openings to positions aligned with subsequent sets ofopenings so the packing mechanism transfers dough pieces from thecutting unit to the containers until the containers are full; a driver,disconnectably coupled to the container conveyor, configured to drivethe container conveyor; and a cutter drive assembly, coupled to theendless cutting unit, configured to advance the cutting plates relativeto the reciprocating packing mechanism, the cutting plates beingadvanced with each reciprocation of the reciprocating packing mechanism.2. The apparatus of claim 1 and further comprising:a frame supportingthe endless cutting unit.
 3. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein theportable chassis of the modular container positioning mechanism includesa first locator, and wherein the frame includes a second locatormateable with the first locator on the portable chassis to locate themodular container positioning mechanism relative to the frame andrelative to the endless cutting unit.
 4. The apparatus of claim 3wherein the portable chassis includes an upper portion, movable withrespect to a lower portion, the upper and lower portions being connectedto a power actuator configured to move the upper portion relative to thelower portion, movement of the upper portion relative to the lowerportion providing mateable connection between the first locator and thesecond locator.
 5. The apparatus of claim 4 wherein the portable chassiscomprises:a plurality of wheels coupled to a lower portion of theportable chassis.
 6. The apparatus of claim 5 wherein the containerconveyor comprises:a plurality of augers supported by the portablechassis as cantilevered beams extending within the endless cutting unit.7. The apparatus of claim 6 wherein the driver comprises:a motorcontroller; a servo motor; and a releasable linkage coupling the servomotor to the plurality of augers.
 8. The apparatus of claim 7 whereinthe cutter drive assembly comprises:a servo motor coupled to the endlesscutting unit, and controlled by the motor controller.
 9. The apparatusof claim 1 wherein the container conveyor comprises:an auger, rotatablymounted to the portable chassis, the auger having a thread with a threaddimension corresponding to a size of the containers, the containersbeing advanced in the thread of the auger, relative to the endlesscutting unit, from a position aligned with a first set of openings tosubsequent positions aligned with subsequent sets of openings to allowthe packing mechanism to transfer dough pieces from the cutting unit tothe containers until the containers are full.
 10. The apparatus of claim9 wherein the cutter drive assembly comprises a variable drive motor sothe cutting plates are advanced by a variable distance based on thelength of the cutting plates.